OCC spring semester starts; more classes as budget constraints ease
Students in the Coast Community College District returned to campuses this week to begin the 16-week spring semester.
Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa has geared up for the largest spring semester in years, with more than 70,000 seats available to students, according to administrators. That continues a trend of increased class offerings.
In 2010, the state cut budgets for community colleges, causing many two-year institutions, including Orange Coast, to reduce their offerings amid a growing student population.
OCC students encountered lengthy waiting lists for core classes such as English and math, sometimes seeing delays of several semesters to complete classes necessary to transfer to a four-year university.
The Coast Community College District was able to open its doors to more students with the passage in 2012 of Proposition 30, a statewide initiative that guaranteed additional funding to the state’s community college system through temporary tax increases.
Since 2013, Orange Coast College has increased class offerings, enabling students to move through the community college system and complete their degrees faster, officials said.
Registration for courses is open until Feb. 15. For more information, visit https://www.orangecoastcollege.edu.
—Hannah Fry